Homeboy Industries is a youth program

Youth program

Youth programs are particular activities designed to involve people between the ages of 10 and 25. Activities included are generally oriented towards youth development through recreation, social life, prevention, intervention, or education...

 founded in 1992 by Father Greg Boyle, S.J.

Greg Boyle, S.J.

Father Gregory "Greg" Joseph Boyle, S.J. is a Jesuit Roman Catholic priest. He is the director and founder of Homeboy Industries and former pastor of Dolores Mission Church.Fr...

 following the work of the Christian base communities

Christian base communities

Christian Base communities are autonomous religious groups often associated with Liberation Theology. The 1968 Medellín, Colombia meeting of Latin American Council of Bishops played a major role in popularizing them....

 at Dolores Mission Church. The program is intended to assist at-risk youth and gang

Gang

A gang is a group of people who, through the organization, formation, and establishment of an assemblage, share a common identity. In current usage it typically denotes a criminal organization or else a criminal affiliation. In early usage, the word gang referred to a group of workmen...

 members with a variety of services, such as counsel

Counsel

A counsel or a counselor gives advice, more particularly in legal matters.-U.K. and Ireland:The legal system in England uses the term counsel as an approximate synonym for a barrister-at-law, and may apply it to mean either a single person who pleads a cause, or collectively, the body of barristers...

ing, tutor

Tutor

A tutor is a person employed in the education of others, either individually or in groups. To tutor is to perform the functions of a tutor.-Teaching assistance:...

ing, and employment.
The most distinctive feature of Homeboy Industries is its small businesses, which gives hard-to-place individuals an opportunity to be employed in transitional jobs in a safe, supportive environment where they can learn both concrete and soft job skills. Among the businesses are the Homeboy Bakery, Homegirl Café & Catering, Homeboy Merchandise, Homeboy Farmers Markets, The Homeboy Diner at City Hall, and Homeboy Silkscreen & Embroidery.

History

Homeboy Industries began in 1988 as a job training program (called Jobs for a Future)
out of Dolores Mission Parish in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, California, USA. It was created by then-pastor Greg Boyle, S.J.

Greg Boyle, S.J.

Father Gregory "Greg" Joseph Boyle, S.J. is a Jesuit Roman Catholic priest. He is the director and founder of Homeboy Industries and former pastor of Dolores Mission Church.Fr...

 to offer an alternative to gang life for high-risk youth, who were living in the area with the highest concentration of gang activity in the country. In those early days, Boyle found sympathetic businesses that agreed to hire recovering gang members.

In 1992, an abandoned warehouse was converted into the first business, Homeboy Bakery, to create more opportunities for employment. The Bakery started off producing tortillas and eventually received a contract for baking bread.
Eventually more businesses were added, and in 2001, Homeboy Industries became an independent non-profit.

Dolores Mission Alternative School was created to offer high school drop outs a chance for a diploma. In 2010, Learning Works became the new high school. There are currently 75 students enrolled, and in 2012 enrollment is expected to reach 105.

In October 2007, Homeboy Industries opened a new $8.5 million headquarters at the Fran and Ray Stark building, in a gang-neutral downtown location.

In addition to jobs, Homeboy Industries offers training in anger management

Anger management

The term anger management commonly refers to a system of psychological therapeutic techniques and exercises by which someone with excessive or uncontrollable anger & aggression can control or reduce the triggers, degrees, and effects of an angered emotional state...

, domestic violence, yoga, spiritual development, parenting, substance abuse, budgeting, art and other areas of self-development. In addition, they offer free mental health counseling, tattoo removal, legal services, job development and case management.

One of Homeboy's most successful programs is free tattoo

Tattoo

A tattoo is made by inserting indelible ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment. Tattoos on humans are a type of body modification, and tattoos on other animals are most commonly used for identification purposes...

 removal. Young people who find that tattoos inhibit their ability to secure employment can receive treatments on site at Homeboy's center in Downtown Los Angeles, California, USA. Though tattoo removal by laser is known to be painful and takes an average of eight to ten treatments per tattoo, and in some cases up to 1 year to complete, patient retention is virtually 100%. The clinic completes about 560 treatments per month.

Homeboy Industries faced financial difficulties in 2010, but the organization has reached a strong point in 2011 and is seeing more clients than ever before. New developments in 2010 and 2011 included the launch of Homeboy Tortilla Strips and Salsa in Ralphs stores across California, and the expansion of the Homeboy social enterprises with the Homeboy Diner at City Hall and Homeboy Farmers Markets. The title of Fr. Boyle's memoir, Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion reflects Father Boyle's unwavering focus in helping gang members walk a new path.

Homeboy currently employs between 200–235 high-risk, formerly gang-involved, and recently incarcerated youth in its six social enterprises and headquarters, though the free services (from tattoo removal to Baby and Me class) are utilized by more than 10,000 community members a year.

Recognition and Awards

A documentary titled Father G. and the Homeboys was released in 2007.

Homeboy Industries made its first foray into the mainstream market with its salsa being sold at Ralphs Supermarket.

In 2007, Father Boyle appeared in an episode of MTV's True Life

True Life

True Life is a documentary series running on MTV since 1998. Each episode follows a particular topic, such as heroin addiction as in the first episode, "Fatal Dose." The show is created by following a series of subjects by a camera crew through a certain part of their lives.-Topics covered:True...

, which followed an employee of Homeboy Industries named Dennis.

Father Boyle and Homeboy Industries were awarded in the humanitarian category by of the 10th Annual Bon Appétit

Bon Appétit

Bon Appétit describes itself as "a food and entertaining magazine" and is published monthly. Named after the French phrase for "Enjoy your meal", it was started by M. Frank Jones in Kansas City in 1956...

 Awards in September, 2007.

Members of Homeboy Industries were also shown in the music video for Daughtry's "What About Now

What About Now (Daughtry song)

"What About Now" is the seventh single from American rock band Daughtry's eponymous debut album. The song is a ballad, that was written by Ben Moody, David Hodges , and Josh Hartzler, who is married to Amy Lee . It is one of only two songs on the album not at least co-written by Chris Daughtry...

" in July 2008.

Father Boyle will be inducted into the California Hall of Fame in December 2011.

Criticism

Boyle and Homeboy Industries has received criticism, especially from law enforcement in Los Angeles. Accusations of glorifying gang life and harboring criminals have been made in the past. However, many law enforcement and government officials, including Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca

Lee Baca

Leroy David "Lee" Baca is the Sheriff of Los Angeles County, California. Baca holds a Doctorate of Public Administration from the University of Southern California....

, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa

Antonio Villaraigosa

Antonio Ramón Villaraigosa , born Antonio Ramón Villar, Jr., is the 41st and current Mayor of Los Angeles, California, the third Mexican American to have ever held office in the city of Los Angeles and the first in over 130 years. He is also the current president of the United States Conference of...

, and First Lady Laura Bush

Laura Bush

Laura Lane Welch Bush is the wife of the 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush. She was the First Lady of the United States from January 20, 2001, to January 20, 2009. She has held a love of books and reading since childhood and her life and education have reflected that interest...

have praised Homeboy Industries' success.

External links

• Official website
• El padre y los homies an audio documentary about Father Boyle and Homeboy Industries